"The Detroit Red Wings' organization and the league agree that the comments made by Mr. Devellano are neither appropriate, nor authorized, nor permissible under the league's bylaws," said Bill Daly, the NHL's deputy commissioner. "Such comments are neither constructive nor helpful to the negotiations."
In the interview, Devellano said the Flyers "operated within the CBA and it was "totally legit" to give Weber an offer sheet. "Having said that, I will tell you there is an unwritten rule that you don't do that, but they did, and just like everything else in life, some people are great to deal with, some aren't. If you are asking me if it's right, I would say there is, again, an unwritten rule . . . we all know it in the NHL, but not everyone follows it."
Added Devellano: "Each owner/team has a decision as to how they want to pay their players, as long as they are under the cap. Now Donald Fehr would have you believe by getting rid of the cap, the owners would make more money and that the sky is the limit, but trust me, the owners would lose [a lot]. We've tried that. It doesn't work. There is just too much cost involved in running and owning a team.
"It's very complicated and way too much for the average Joe to understand, but having said that, I will tell you this: The owners can basically be viewed as the ranch, and the players, and me included, are the cattle. The owners own the ranch and allow the players to eat there. That's the way it's always been and that the way it will be forever. And the owners simply aren't going to let a union push them around."
Contact Sam Carchidi at scarchidi@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @BroadStBull.
